American crocodile facts for kids

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American crocodile
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Crocodylidae
Genus: Crocodylus
Binomial name
Crocodylus acutus

The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas, with populations present from South Florida and the coasts of Mexico to as far south as Peru and Venezuela. Its scientific name, Crocodylus acutus, means "Pointy-snouted crocodile", for the shape of its snout.

The habitat of the American crocodile consists largely of coastal areas. It is also found in river systems, but tends to prefer salinity, resulting in the species staying in brackish lakes, mangrove swamps, lagoons, cays, and small islands.


American crocodiles feed mostly on fish, but large individuals may prey on larger animals, such as deer. The crocodile looks like it is a log, and hides beneath the surface of the water. When the deer comes down to the water to drink, the crocodile lunges out of the water, grabs the deer in its jaws, and pulls it underwater, where it drowns.

After the deer is dead, the crocodile will grab a piece of meat in its jaws and spin around in a "death roll". American crocodiles are a somewhat aggressive crocodile species, and have been known to attack humans. Attacks on humans are rare, but happen most often in Mexico.

Everglades American Crocodile
Everglades American Crocodile
Crocodile, Sumidero Canyon (2088963148)
American Crocodile, Southwestern Mexico


Museum of Science, Boston, MA - IMG 3224
Large American crocodile skull


The nostrils, eyes, and ears are situated on the top of its head, so the rest of the body can be concealed underwater for surprise attacks. Camouflage also helps it prey on food. The snout is relatively longer and narrower than that of the American alligator.

Large american crocodile
Adult American crocodile

American crocodiles are also paler and more grayish than the relatively dark-hued American alligator. This crocodile species normally crawls on its belly, but it can also "high walk". Larger specimens can charge up to nearly 10 mph (16 km/h). They can swim at as much as 20 mph (32 km/h) by moving their bodies and tails in a twisting fashion, but they cannot keep up this speed.

The body temperature of alligators has been known to drop to 38 degrees Fahrenheit without any harm at all to the alligator. However, the American crocodile is better at tolerating saltwater than the alligator. American crocodiles have regularly been sighted 140 miles away from shore in the Caribbean Sea.


American crocodile
American crocodile



Distribution and habitat

Crocodile and Gator at Mrazek Pond (2), EVER, NPSPhoto, SCotrell, 4-2011 (9255694189)

The American crocodile's range in southern Florida overlaps with that of the closely related American alligator. However, while the American alligator's range stretches as far north as Virginia, the American crocodile's range in the United States is confined to southern Florida. This is because alligators are much better at tolerating cold weather than crocodiles.


American Crocodile in Jamaica
American crocodile found in Jamaica's Black River



In the summer of 2008, a crocodile was captured in the surf on Isle of Palms, South Carolina. In 2013, an apparently 700-pound crocodile was captured in Tarpon Springs, Florida. American crocodiles of similar lengths have been accurately weighed at 450–500 lbs.

Hunting and diet

Crocodylus acutus head
Adult male C. acutus

The snout of the American crocodile is broader than some specialized fish-eating crocodilians and the freshwater crocodile, allowing it to supplement its diet with a wider variety of prey. In addition the snout gets even broader and bulkier as the animal matures.


In Haiti, hatchling and juvenile American crocodiles lived primarily off of fiddler crabs, making up 33.8% and 62.3% of the diet by weight, respectively.

Elsewhere, aquatic insects and their larvae and snails are near the top of the food list for American crocodiles at this very early age. Immature American crocodiles have a more varied diet that can include insects, fish, frogs, small turtles, birds and small mammals.

American crocodile close up
American crocodile close up

In Florida, bass, tarpon and especially mullet, large crabs, snakes, mammals that habit the riparian and coastal regions of the Everglades, such as opossums and raccoons appeared to be the primary prey of sub-adult and adult American crocodiles.

In Haiti, adults appeared to live largely off of various birds such as heron, storks, flamingos, pelicans, grebes, coots and moorhens, followed by marine fish including Tilapia and Cichlasoma, at times being seen to capture turtles, dogs and goats.



Juvenile American Alligator lying on a juvenile American Crocodile 2
Juvenile American Alligators at "Gatorama" in Palmdale, Florida



Because sex determination is temperature-dependent in crocodiles, slight changes in temperature may result in all-male or all-female clutches, which would possibly harm the health of the population.


Crocodylus acutus01
An American crocodile hatchling in Colombia


During the 75- to 80-day incubation period, the parents will guard the nest, often inhabiting a hole in the bank nearby. Females especially have been known to guard their nests with fiercely. But in spite of these precautions, American crocodile eggs sometimes fall prey to raccoons, coatis, foxes, skunks or other scavenging mammals (even coyotes in Mexico and American black bears in south Florida), as well as large predatory ants, crabs and vultures.


Biscayne American Crocodile NPS1
American Crocodile at the Biscayne National Park, Florida


Conservation status

Crocodylus acutus feeding
Crocodylus acutus in La Manzanilla, Jalisco, Mexico


One thousand to 2,000 American crocodiles live in Mexico and Central and South America, but populations are data deficient. The American crocodile is considered a vulnerable species, but has not been assessed since 1996.

American Crocodile Florida
American Crocodile at "Gatorama" in Palmdale, Florida

It has an estimated wild population of 500 to 1,200 in southern Florida. On March 20, 2007, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service declassified the American crocodile as an endangered species, downgrading its status to "threatened".

The reptile remains protected from illegal harassing, poaching, or killing under the federal Endangered Species Act. In southern Florida, 67.8% of American crocodile mortality was attributed most likely to road collisions (found dead by the road).

American crocodile Costa Rica
American crocodile Costa Rica

Relationship with humans

See also: Crocodile attacks



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